


Legally Mandated Break

by mezzosesu



Series: Fluffcember [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Day 1: Sharing a Drink, Dessert & Sweets, Fluff, Gen, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:08:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27834292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mezzosesu/pseuds/mezzosesu
Summary: Working is boring sometimes, but thankfully coworkers make it interesting. Hand Receptionist has an interesting encounter with the MTT Resort Janitor.Day 1 of Fluffcember
Series: Fluffcember [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2037313
Comments: 4
Kudos: 5





	Legally Mandated Break

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I've decided to try doing a [ prompt challenge ]() for the month of December, mostly to get myself back in the habit of writing after many, many burnouts. There's not much rhyme or reason to what I plan to write, but you're free to hop along for the ride if you want. 
> 
> Today's prompt is Sharing a Drink. I worked it slightly to be more like Sharing a dessert haha.
> 
> I did an unofficial poll on my twitter to ask people what minor NPCs people liked, and someone mentioned the Janitor at the MTT Resort. I personally love the Hand receptionist, so I decided to write both of them. Also if you've done the fetch quests for the guests in the MTT resort, they have interesting ways of getting their items under the door ahahha.

The MTT resort looks as fabulous today as it does every day. It’s blindingly bright inside, a side effect of the no less than three grand chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Thankfully, the lights aren’t a problem for Hand Receptionist, who leans on the greeting counter and sighs softly. It's been quiet today at MTT resort, probably a result of the weekday. No one has passed through since this morning, so even Diamond, who was the appointed 'hype-person' of their work crew, looks a little bored at their station near the entrance. 

Sometimes days are just like this, unfortunately. Complaining about it on the clock isn't very professional though, so Hand brings themselves back up to standing position, stretching the fingers on their head out wide while they smooth down their uniform. Just a few more minutes and then they can take a break with the rest of the crew. 

Well, mostly Diamond and Fish. Hand doesn't quite know where Burgerpants heads off to during their breaks. They'd invite him to have Starfaits with the rest of them, for workplace camaraderie and all, but he usually shuffles out the door too quickly for them to notice. Maybe he's just more of an introvert, who knows. 

The clock chimes behind them, then a robotic voice blares from the radio beneath the counter. 

“ _ ATTENTION EMPLOYEES, IT’S TIME FOR YOUR LEGALLY MANDATED BREAK. PLEASE ENJOY 30 MINUTES TO YOUR LEISURE. THANK YOU DARLINGS.” _

The transmission cuts off, and Hand finally allows themselves to step out from their counter and let off a big stretch. Diamond hops over to them. 

“Another fabulous day, huh Hand?!” They say happily, joining them in their impromptu stretching. 

To Hand, it looks more like they were rolling around than actually stretching, but they keep that to themselves. Instead, they shrug. “Another day of employment surely is a good day.”

“You’re so right! Isn’t Mettaton just the best?!”

Before Hand can answer, the door to the Burger Emporium opens, revealing the disheveled appearance of Burgerpants. He pulls out a cigarette from his pocket, giving both receptionists a small nod before slipping through the front door.

“He’s not one for conversation, huh,” Diamond mutters. “Oh well, nothing to do about it, let’s go meet up with Fish!”

The two of them leave the reception area and head to the restaurant. They grab a table near the entrance, sitting down right as Fish emerges from the kitchen with three Starfaits in large glasses. “Happy break time,” Fish says, taking a seat with the others. “Eat up, it’s on the house.” 

As they relax, they chat briefly about their day so far. Like Diamond and Hand, Fish hasn’t had any customers either, with a slight exception.

“I just don’t get it, I know that monster doesn’t have a reservation,” Fish whispers, directing their attention to an individual in the far corner of the restaurant. “It’s not like they have to leave, standing is free of charge, but isn’t it awkward?”

“Maybe they’re waiting for a friend?” Diamond supplies helpfully.

“By a ficus, though? And anyway, I don’t have any reservations until 9:00 today!” Fish upends their dessert, shoveling the whole thing in their mouth in one bite. “This job is so stressful sometimes. Worth it, but stressful. Oh! I almost forgot!”

Hand looks up in confusion as Fish darts back into the kitchen, returning with a small covered tray. “Hand, I’m so sorry but I forgot to get this ready for a guest before our break. Could I ask you to..?”

Hand waves him off with her head. “It’s not a problem.” They stand up, then pick up the tray in one hand and the parfait in the other. “I’ll just finish this at my post and send the glass your way later.”

“Thank you!” “See you later, Hand!” The two chime as Hand leaves the restaurant. 

They make their way to the other side of the building, where there are a few guest rooms. After a short search, they find the room number indicated and knock on the door. “Room service.”

A tinny voice answers back. “Oooooaaaaaah! Room service! Got my Steak in the Shape of Mettaton’s Face?”

Hand uncovers the tray, where indeed a Mettaton-shaped steak laid serenely on a plate. Beside it sat a large industrial hammer, courtesy of Fish. 

Putting their Starfait a safe distance away, Hand grabs the hammer and gets to work. They strike the steak once, twice, many times, pouring in their unavoidable customer-facing job stress into every swing. 

_ No, we don’t have room keys! If you leave, that’s it, you have to pay again! There’s nothing I can do about it, THAT’S. OUR. POLICY.  _

When they finally come back to the present, they find the steak misshapen and nearly as flat as a pancake. 

Perfect!

They slide the flat steak underneath the door, and the monster gasps loudly. “Huh?!?!?!?!?!! This is just the way I want! Here’s a tip!” Several coins roll out from under the door. Hand rounds them up (99g, nice!) and puts them in the pocket of their skirt before standing. Another job well done. Now they just have to grab their Starfait and…

In the spot where they put their Starfait was a cleaning bucket, and beside it stood Janitor, MTT Resort’s...well, janitor. And they were holding...the Starfait. 

Hand isn’t the possessive type of monster, especially when it comes to food, but they hadn’t had a chance to eat any of their dessert yet! “Wait, that’s not trash, it’s mine!”

Janitor startles, whipping their head in Hand’s direction. A stray bit of slime falls from their body, right on a slick part of the floor that Hand is sure was just mopped. They burble out something unintelligible, before offering the glass back to Hand. 

Hand takes it gratefully, immediately digging the spoon into the glass. Their mouth manifests in the center of their head, and Hand immediately scoops a large chunk of the Starfait into it. Cold sweetness fills their taste buds as they chew, along with the sharp edges of the edible stars sprinkled throughout the treat. It’s so good! Totally worth waiting so long for it! 

Janitor, seeing that their task was done here, went back to their cleaning, bringing out the mop and plopping it where their slime fell. Hand sees this and immediately protests.

“Hey wait, you can’t be working right now, we’re on break!”

Janitor tilts their head in confusion. They point to the slime on the floor, then to the mop, then to themselves. 

“Yeah, I know you need to clean it, but that can wait, right? We’re really not supposed to skip our breaks, Mettaton could get in trouble.” Janitor still looks conflicted, so Hand carefully guides Janitor away from their mop to the wall. “It’s fine, just take a breather for now. Say, have you had a chance to try any of the food here yet?”

Shaking their head, Janitor explains that they usually bring food from home. 

“Oh, you should try it!” Hand scoops out a reasonable portion onto their spoon and thrusts it in Janitor’s direction. “Here--it’s good, I promise!”

Janitor looks from Hand to the spoon for a moment before leaning forward. The slime near where Hand guesses a mouth would be parts, and they guide the spoon there. 

For a moment, nothing happens.

Then, Janitor yelps, standing up straight as a shiver violently passes through their body. Slime falls like hail from Janitor as they struggle to get themselves together and Hand wonders if maybe this was a bad idea. 

After another moment Janitor finally gets a hold of themselves and gives Hand a serious look. Apologies are at the tip of Hand’s mouth, but then Janitor gives them an enthusiastic thumbs up. 

“Wait, you liked it?” Hand asks, shocked. Janitor nods their head wildly, causing a bigger mess around them. 

“Huh. Well, you can go ahead and finish this if you want. And you know, if you take your breaks like you’re supposed to, you can hang out with Fish, Diamond, and I. We have these every day.”

Hand gasps as Janitor surges forward and gives them a tight, goopy hug, before taking the Starfait and chugging down the rest of it. Hand gives them a three-handed wave before escaping back to the reception area, not wanting to be doused in every more slime. On their way to the sink, they run into Diamond, who does a double-take at Hand’s state.

“Whoa, what happened to you?!”

“Ah, I made friends with the janitor,” Hand says.

“Wait, aren’t they supposed to keep the area clean? You look like you got into a fight in the mud!” Diamond laughs. “Well anyway, does this mean we get to add a new chair to our table tomorrow?”

“Hopefully. We have to make sure Fish finds the biggest glass for our new friend, they  _ really _ enjoy the dessert.”

Hand and Diamond finish their conversation so Hand can get cleaned up, and by the time their break ends Hand is back at their counter, ready to greet any guests that come in. Like the morning it’s slow, but thankfully Hand can think about how much fun they’ll all have on their breaks tomorrow.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! 
> 
> Did you enjoy yourself? Not to be rude but it doesn't matter! This is for me! Thanks for reading though :) Do me let know if you liked it, and don't let me know if you didn't haha.
> 
> If you're curious about my other work or just want to find where else I am on the internet, you can find that [here](https://mezzosesu.carrd.co/) on my Carrd!


End file.
